What is Reiki — and how it supports healing.

What is Reiki — and how it supports healing.

reiki | energy healing | mind body soul

There's a moment a lot of people describe when they first hear about Reiki.

A quiet kind of curiosity. A sense of maybe. Like something in them already knows this is worth paying attention to — even if their mind isn't quite sure yet.

If that's where you are right now, you're in exactly the right place.

So, what actually is Reiki?

Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive energy healing practice that works with the body's natural energy system to support balance, healing, and deep rest.

The word itself comes from Japanese — rei meaning universal or spiritual wisdom, and ki meaning life force energy. The same concept exists across many traditions: prana in Ayurveda, chi in Chinese medicine, mana in Pacific Islander healing. Different names, same knowing — that we are more than just our physical bodies, and that energy flows through us and around us all the time.

In a Reiki session, a practitioner works with that energy — either through gentle touch or hands held just above the body — to help release blockages, restore flow, and create the conditions your system needs to heal.

It's not about fixing you. It's about supporting you.

Because your body already knows how to heal. Sometimes it just needs a little help remembering.

What does a session actually feel like?

This is the question I love most, because the answers are always beautifully individual.

Some people feel warmth moving through their body. Some notice a deep heaviness — the kind you only feel when you've finally let yourself fully relax. Some see colours or images behind their eyes. Some simply drift into a deeply restful state that doesn't feel quite like sleep, but is deeply nourishing.

And some feel nothing obvious at all during the session — and then spend the next three days noticing things shifting quietly underneath the surface.

What people commonly describe afterwards:

✨ A sense of calm that lingers
✨ Feeling lighter — emotionally and physically
✨ Sleeping more deeply
✨ Less tension in the body
✨ A quiet clarity they hadn't expected
✨ Feeling more like themselves

There's no right way to experience it. Your body receives what it needs.

Who is Reiki for?

Honestly? It's for anyone who is carrying something their body and nervous system haven't been able to fully process yet.

That might look like:

• Stress that's become your baseline — you've forgotten what it feels like to not feel wound up
• Emotional heaviness you can't quite name or shake
• Physical tension that doesn't seem to respond to anything you've tried
• A sense of disconnection from yourself — going through the motions but not really feeling your life
• A desire to complement the other healing work you're doing — therapy, counselling, somatic work
• Simply wanting space to slow down and be held in something gentle

You don't need to be in crisis. You don't need a specific reason. Sometimes you just need to rest in a way that the everyday world doesn't make room for.

Is there any science behind it?

I know this question matters to a lot of people — especially those of you who are drawn to healing but also want something more than "trust me, it works."

Here's what I can tell you.

Reiki consistently activates the parasympathetic nervous system — that's the rest-and-digest state, the opposite of fight-or-flight. Research has found reductions in anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure following Reiki sessions. Studies in oncology settings have shown meaningful improvements in pain, fatigue, and mood for people undergoing cancer treatment.

It's also worth noting that Reiki sits comfortably alongside evidence-based approaches. Hospitals and palliative care settings around the world now offer it as a complementary support. It isn't instead of medical or psychological care — it's alongside it.

The body holds so much more than our minds can articulate. Reiki works in that space.

What I love about offering Reiki

I came to Reiki through my own healing journey, and through the work of extraordinary mentors who showed me just how powerful it is when body-based energy work is woven into holistic care.

As someone who works at the intersection of clinical counselling, trauma-informed practice, and energy healing — I see Reiki as a beautiful companion to the deeper therapeutic work. I use it in everyday sessions or in processing sessions alongside Brainspotting or EMDR. I also use it a lot in my Healing Intensives too. Reiki can help the body to soften before the mind can open. Sometimes we need to work with the energy field to shift what hasn't moved through talking alone.

I offer Reiki as part of a deeply personalised, whole-person approach. Whether you're coming to me for counselling, brainspotting, or a Reiki session on its own — my intention is always the same.

To hold you with care. To witness your healing. To trust your body's wisdom.

Ready to explore?

If something in you is curious, I'd love to hear from you.

You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out. Curiosity is more than enough. I have sessions in person in Port Macquarie, NSW or online. 

Book a session or get in touch to have a chat about whether Reiki might be right for you.

x cherie.